The Denver Broncos enter the 2016 NFL draft coming off of a disappointing season for the tight end position. The only player to have a decent year, Owen Daniels, is no longer on the team, and even he wasn’t more that a bit player on a championship team.
As of right now, the Broncos have two tight ends on the depth chart — Virgil Green and Jeff Heuerman. Coming off of a very promising 2014 season, Green looked like he could be a valuable asset for the Broncos in the years to come. Last year, though, he took a step back.
Green regressed as a run blocker, which was his biggest asset, and showed very little in the passing game, only hauling in 12 passes during the regular season. Green has a chance to take over as the Broncos’ starting tight end but will need to significantly improve in the passing game, as well as revert back to his run blocking skills of 2014.
Heuerman’s season was over last year before it even started, as he tore his ACL in rookie minicamps. Drafted in the third round of last year’s draft, Heuerman has the potential to be very good, but he’s shrouded in question marks.
The Broncos still have high hopes for Heuerman and think he can develop into a quality tight end, but there’s too much uncertainty to say that he’s the answer moving forward.
The Broncos have not addressed the tight end position in free agency, and they very well could be waiting for the draft to do so. With that being said, here are five tight ends that the Broncos could be looking at during the draft at the end of the month:
5. Tyler Higbee
Height/Weight: 6-6/249 pounds Projected Round: 4th
Career Stats: 68 receptions; 1,054 yards; 14 touchdowns
Tyler Higbee has many similarities with a former Broncos tight end, Julius Thomas. Higbee has similar size (Thomas is 6-5/247) and athleticism as Thomas, as well as injury concerns. Likewise, both went to smaller football schools and are viewed as a big threat in the passing game.
Higbee went to college as a wide receiver, and left as a tight end. His biggest strength is in the passing game, where he is very dynamic. Higbee can be a threat at all levels of the field in the pass game and is not afraid to go over the middle to catch a ball.
The difference between Thomas and Higbee comes in the run game. While Higbee is not fantastic as a blocker, he doesn’t shy away from it, either. Higbee is much more developed in the passing game than in the running game but has shown that he is willing to learn and grow as a blocker — something Julius never did.
In 2015 Higbee suffered a knee sprain, which kept him out of five games and could be viewed as a negative for his NFL career. Even though he missed five games due to injury, he still complied 563 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Higbee has the chance to be a big player in the NFL if he continues to develop at the tight end position like he has so far. He will need to adjust to a much higher level of competition, but he has a chance to develop into an impact player with a team in a few years.
4. Jerell Adams
Experience: Senior School: South Carolina
Height/Weight: 6-5/247 pounds Projected Round: 3rd-4th
Career Stats: 66 receptions; 977 yards; 7 touchdowns
Jerell Adams enters the draft as a great athlete with a lot of room to continue to grow as a tight end. In high school, Adams played quarterback, tight end, linebacker, defensive end and punter, and showed off that athleticism at South Carolina as a tight end.
Adams can line up on the line as a tight end or out wide as a wide receiver. He is a good route runner and can create separation. Adams has long arms, which he uses to his advantage in blocking and catching contested balls.
In the run game, Adams was solid in college, but due to his skinnier frame will need to bulk up to be successful in the NFL. Adams knows the fundamentals of blocking and if he is able to develop to the adequate size, he will most likely be a very good blocker in the NFL.
If Adams can successfully bulk up, while still keeping his athleticism, he could really help a team. He may not have a big impact in year one, but he has a chance to be a good asset for many years to come. He would be a good fit in this Broncos offense, as he buys into the running game just as much as the passing game.
3. Nick Vannett
Experience: Senior School: Ohio State
Height/Weight: 6-6/257 pounds Projected Round: 3rd
Career Stats: 55 receptions; 585 yards; 6 touchdowns
Nick Vannett comes out of Ohio State very much the same way that Heuerman did just a year ago. Both are similar in size (Heuerman is 6-5/255), both have potential to be solid in the run and pass game, both were not fully utilized at Ohio State and both could be third-round picks (Heuerman was Broncos third round pick).
Since Vannett was on a very talented Ohio State offense, his skills were not fully shown off in college. While he wasn’t used much in the passing game, he has good hands, which could be a hopeful sign for him being a threat in the passing game in the NFL.
He also proved that he could line up in many different positions and block effectively in space or on the line, which is an important quality for an NFL-caliber tight end.
A few places of improvement for Vannett is that he can work on getting separation in the passing game as well as being stronger at the point of attack in the run game. Route running and getting separation is very coachable and shouldn’t be viewed as a major negative. Once he gets bigger and adds muscle, he can develop his blocking power.
Vannett has a high ceiling for continued growth, and has not come close to that yet. He could have an impact on a team this year, even though he will continue to get better in the years to come. It would be very interesting if the Broncos went back-to-back years taking very similar players, from the same college, with their third-round pick in the draft.
2. Austin Hooper
Experience: Redshirt Sophomore School: Stanford
Height/Weight: 6-4/254 pounds Projected Round: 2nd-3rd
Career Stats: 74 receptions; 937 yards; 8 touchdowns
Austin Hooper enters the draft after playing just two years of college ball, thanks to a redshirt freshman year. Because Hooper is a little less experienced than the other tight ends, he still has a lot of room to grow, but he’s still quite the player, even right now.
Hooper was named a Freshman All-American in his first season of action, as he showed off his threat in both the passing game and running game. Hooper comes from a Stanford program that heavily emphasizes the run, and if you can’t run block, you won’t play for David Shaw’s team.
Hooper’s ability to get open and make moves after the catch shows his value in the passing game. Hooper can become a very good all-around player in the NFL.
If the Broncos wanted to add Hooper, they would probably have to take him with their second-round pick, as he will most likely not be available at the end of the third. While he enters the NFL as a good player off the bat, he can still work on his footwork and getting off of the line of scrimmage quickly.
Just like the other tight ends mentioned so far, Hooper has room to grow. However, he enters the NFL more ready to play, especially in a Gary Kubiak style of offense.
1. Hunter Henry
Experience: Junior School: Arkansas
Height/Weight: 6-5/250 pounds Projected Round: 1st-2nd
Career Stats: 116 receptions; 1,661 receptions; 9 touchdowns
Hunter Henry enters the NFL draft as the unanimous top tight end in his class. He excels in both the run game and pass game and has very few weaknesses. The biggest problem with Henry is deciding where to draft him.
Henry could be chosen in the first round, but also could fall to the second round. There is very little chance the Broncos would be able to get him in the second round, so if they wanted him, they would need to grab him in the first or trade up in the second.
No tight end in the country is as well rounded as Henry. He is a great run blocker and just as good of a pass catcher. Henry had 51 catches his senior season with 0 drops, which is incredible. He is hard to defend because of his size and speed; he is too big for a defensive back and too fast for a linebacker.
The past few years, there has been a significant movement in the NFL towards pass-catching tight ends. However, most of these tight ends struggle in the run game. Henry would enter the NFL as an above average run blocker and could eventually be considered a top run-blocking tight end in the game.
Henry would be able to start for the Broncos day one and give them a great all-around tight end. Kubiak loves his tight ends, so an early round pick on a tight end would not be a shock to see, and the potential of landing a top tight end may be too intriguing for him to pass up.